Mika Pritchard-Berman
Senior UX Research Leader | Strategic Partner & Leader
I'm open to UX Research Leadership positions, whether that be leading teams or leading impactful research
I'm open to UX Research Leadership positions, whether that be leading teams or leading impactful research
Senior UX Research Leader with 15+ years of experience (Meta, Google, YouTube) specializing in complex user journeys and interconnected product ecosystems. Proven track record of guiding product strategy for high-stakes enterprise and consumer platforms. Expert in leading mixed-methods independent research & teams to drive alignment across cross-functional workstreams, balancing technical rigor with the speed required for fast-paced financial innovation.
MPB Consulting | UX Research Principal
January 2024 – Present | Bothell, WA
Provide senior-level UX research guidance through 1:1 coaching with experienced researchers navigating complex research challenges.
Coach researchers on research strategy, synthesis, and stakeholder influence to improve execution quality and impact.
Meta Reality Labs | UX Research Manager & Lead UXR
March 2021 – June 2023 | Seattle, WA
Led end-to-end product discovery for XR hardware and software, framing ambiguous problem spaces to define core product capabilities for the Meta Quest Pro.
Balanced user experience with technical constraints to deliver scalable interaction models and detailed specifications within a rapidly evolving ecosystem.
Drove alignment across cross-functional teams by clearly articulating decisions, rationale, and proposed solutions to executive-level stakeholders.
Built and scaled Meta Reality Labs’ first embedded XR research team, hiring and mentoring UX researchers who delivered insights shaping Meta Quest Pro mixed reality capabilities.
Google | UX Researcher
January 2017 – March 2021 | Kirkland, WA
Partnered with Product and Engineering leadership to guide strategy for Google Meet, balancing the needs of millions of consumer users with the high-stakes security and technical requirements of Global 500 enterprises.
Led complex discovery workstreams for core productivity features and layouts, translating research insights into high-impact artifacts—including user flows and specifications—to drive fast, high-quality decision-making, supporting the launch of 100+ product features.
Navigated stakeholder tradeoffs across multiple business units to ensure research informed product sequencing, activation, long-term retention goals, and cross-company OKRs.
YouTube (via Adecco) | UX Researcher
August 2015 – January 2017 | San Bruno, CA
Operated as a horizontal research partner, delivering insights across Growth, YouTube TV, and Music to help teams balance multi-persona workflows and high-configuration features.
Spearheaded a foundational 900+ participant study focused on global growth and user motivations, identifying unmet needs that informed long-term product sequencing.
Translated complex behavioral data into actionable narratives for executive leadership, guiding decisions on where to introduce automation versus manual user control.
Skyward UX | UX Researcher
May 2014 – August 2015 | Sunnyvale, CA
Conducted UX research engagements for finance, beauty, and gaming clients.
Designed and executed qualitative and quantitative studies across the product lifecycle.
Stanford University | Senior Research Manager
Cognitive Neuroscience Lab | June 2010 – August 2015 | Stanford, CA
Developed and evaluated interactive, app-based research tools bridging academic research and applied user-centered design
Led and managed multidisciplinary research teams conducting large-scale human research across cognitive and behavioral domains
Collaborated with clinicians and surgeons to translate research findings into real-world treatment and intervention strategies
Built and managed the Research Operations infrastructure for multiple longitudinal studies, including end-to-end participant recruitment pipelines and complex data management.
UX research strategy & execution • Exploratory, evaluative, & iterative research • Qualitative & mixed methods • Stakeholder influence • Epic • Qualtrics, SPSS, MATLAB • Prototyping tools (e.g. Figma)
Clinical & Field Expertise:
Animal: 8+ years of hands-on experience across the veterinary spectrum, including private clinics, shelters, farm, zoo, lab, surgery clinics, and wildlife animal medicine.
Human: 5+ years of human clinical experience, including MRI tech & fMRI analysis, NIRS, Polysomnography, neuropsychological testing & analysis, BBT-i intervention therapy, & cognitive impairment intervention therapy
Domain Knowledge:
Animal: First-hand familiarity with veterinary hospital operations, and the unique challenges faced by clinicians and support staff in fast-paced medical environments. Previous wildlife animal rehabilitator certification.
Human: Epic certified while at Stanford. HIPAA & bloodborne pathogen trained. Previous first-hand responder certification.
Academic Foundation: UC Berkeley, B.A. Integrative Biology (Pre-Vet curriculum); specialized in animal & human behavior, anatomy, and physiology. USC consumer psychology, M.S.
University of Southern California — M.S., Applied & Consumer Psychology
Thesis: Mindset and brain training games to improve cognition
University of California, Berkeley — B.A., Integrative Biology
Focus: Human and animal behavior, anatomy, and physiology
Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g), EPIC, and professional workshops in UX research and applied human behavior. Previous Epic medical systems certification
YouTube Needs: Understanding Users’ Motivations to Watch Videos on Mobile Devices, ACM
Neurofeedback training of executive functions in healthy adults: a pilot study, Neuroimaging
The Association Between Use of Sleep Medication and Polysomnography (PSG) Measured Sleep in Women with Advanced Breast Cancer, MASCC
Cognitive changes in breast cancer from pre-surgery to one month post-chemotherapy, ICCTF
The Impact of Executive Function on Response to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Late Life Depression, Int J Geriatr Psychiatry
Altered resting state functional connectivity in young survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Pediatric Blood & Cancer
Stability of cockroaches running rapidly on rigid rods, Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Real-Time Neuro-Feedback Training of Executive Function in Healthy Adults: A Functional NIRS Study, Society for Neuroscience
Influence of Executive Function Training on Prefrontal Functional Networks in Healthy Adults, Cell Symposia
Performance of Appointment Tasks Scale (PATS): A Staff-Rated Instrument for Assessing Older Adults’ Performance of Everyday Tasks, The Gerontological Society for America
5-HTTLPR Genotype, Sleep Efficiency and Anxiety, ICGP Conference
Mentoring and career development • Guest lecturing and knowledge sharing • Health and wellness • Writing and storytelling • Filmmaking and editing • Animal care and education • Volunteering
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Simplifying Complexity. Empowering Experts.
Strategically based at the intersection of clinical rigor and digital innovation. Senior UX Research leadership for global consumer ecosystems and technical B2B platforms.